CN1965576B - Recording method, reproducing device, reproducing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The video stream and the item map are recorded correspondingly in the BD-RON. A video stream constituting a slide show is composed of a plurality of IDR pictures, and an entry map (EP _ map) corresponding to the IDR pictures indicates entry time (PTS _ EP _ start) and entry position (SPN _ EP _ start) of each IDR picture in the video stream in association with each other. Application _ type indicates that item information about constituting each image data exists in EP _ map, and each image data is decoded individually.

Description

Recording method, reproducing device, reproducing method

technical field

The present invention belongs to the technical field of random access technology. the

Background technique

The so-called random access technology refers to the technology that converts any moment on the time axis of the digital stream into a recording position on the digital stream, and starts to reproduce from the recording position. It is recorded in such as BD-ROM It is a fundamental technology necessary for playing back digital streams on recording media such as DVD-Video. the

The digital stream is coded by variable-length coding methods such as MPEG2-Video and MPEG4-AVC, and the amount of information of each frame varies. Therefore, when performing random access, it is necessary to refer to the entry map when performing the above transformation. Here, the so-called item map refers to the information expressed by associating multiple item times on the time axis with multiple item positions in the digital stream. When the multiple item times of the item map have a time precision of 1 second, it can Random access is performed efficiently with a time precision of 1 second. the

In random access to a video stream, it is necessary to search for an I(Intra) picture present at the head of a GOP. As for the data structure supporting I-picture search, there are prior art described in the following patent documents. the

Patent document: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-228656. the

As an application with a timeline, there are Slide Shows in addition to movies. A slide show is an application that is composed of a plurality of still images and reproduces each still image along a predetermined time axis. Since the slide show also has a time axis for reproduction, by associating multiple item moments on the time axis with item positions, it is possible to guide the recording position on the stream from any time on the time axis, and it is possible to execute from recording Reproducibility from position. the

However, since slideshows are composed of still images, higher-precision random access is required than for movies. High-precision random access refers to random access using "1 image" as the access unit, such as the first image and the tenth image below. The item map of the video stream has a time accuracy of about 1 second, such as a 1-second interval, and 20 to 30 images can be obtained within the 1-second interval. Therefore, when using the above-mentioned item mapping to realize random village access with image precision, it is not enough to refer to the item mapping, and the stream needs to be analyzed. the

Here, "analysis of the stream" refers to a process of repeating the following process: extracting the header of the image from the mapping position described in the item map, and reading the size of the image from the header until the desired image recording position is reached. , according to the size to determine the recording position of the next image. Since such an analysis is accompanied by high-frequency access to the stream, it takes quite a long time even to read the images of the third and fifth images in the back from the item position. Since the random access of image accuracy requires a considerable amount of time, even if it is necessary to immediately respond to user operations to display previous and subsequent images, or to add a function capable of displaying 10 previous and subsequent images to the slideshow, it still cannot achieve the expectations of the producer. The problem of ease of use. the

Contents of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium capable of high-speed random access in a slide show. the

In order to achieve the purpose of the above invention, the recording medium involved in the present invention is recorded with video streams and stream management information, wherein the video stream includes a plurality of image data; the stream management information includes item mapping; the item mapping corresponds to the reproduction time of each image data , indicates the item address of each image data in the video stream; the item address of all the image data included in the video stream is included in the item map. the

Corresponding to the item map of the slide show, the item address of each image in the video stream is associated with the playback time, and even if random access with image precision such as the first and third images in the next is required, it will not With the analysis of the video stream, random access with image precision can be realized. the

The recording position on the video stream can be guided from any time on the time axis, and random access with image precision such as the first and third pictures in the future can be realized, so it is possible to create images that display before and after in response to user operations immediately image, or the application of several images before and after. the

Here, the stream management information further includes a flag for ensuring that item addresses of all image data constituting the aforementioned video stream are included in the item map. the

Even if the data structure of the item map corresponding to the slide show is the same as the data structure of the item map corresponding to the dynamic picture, the playback device only executes the same playback control as the dynamic picture and the flag indicates the above. It is sufficient to perform random access with image precision. The reproduction device can achieve random access with image precision while maintaining compatibility with dynamic images. Thus, it is possible to popularize and promote a playback device having both functions of moving picture playback and slideshow playback. the

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing usage behavior of a recording medium according to the present invention. the

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the BD_ROM. the

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing how a file to which the extension .m2ts is added is structured. the

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how TS packets constituting an AVClip are written to a BD-ROM. the

Fig. 5(a) is a diagram showing the internal structure of a video stream used in a movie. the

Fig. 5(b) is a diagram showing the internal structure of a video stream used for a slide show. the

Fig. 6(a) is a diagram showing the internal structure of an IDR image. the

Figure 6(b) shows the internal structure of the Non-IDR I image. the

Figure 6(c) shows the dependencies of Non-IDR I images. the

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the process of converting an IDR picture and a Non-IDR I picture into TS packets. the

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing how an IDR image in a slideshow is recorded on a BD-ROM. the

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing playback of a slideshow. the

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the internal structure of Clip information. the

Fig. 11(a) shows Steam-Codin-Info of a video stream. the

Fig. 11(b) shows Steam-Codin-Info of an audio stream. the

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the internal structure of Clip info in Clip information. the

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing EP_map settings for a video stream of a movie. the

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing PTS_EP_start and SPN_EP_start of Entry Point #1 to Entry Point #5 in FIG. 13 using a combination of EP_Low and EP_High. the

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing how random access to the video stream in FIG. 13 is performed. the

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an internal structure of an EP_map set for a slideshow. the

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing random access to one time point on the time axis with the same symbols as those in FIG. 16 . the

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of a playback device according to the present invention. the

Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing the steps of converting time information into I-picture addresses in a video stream for movies. the

Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing the steps of converting time information into I-picture addresses in a video stream for a slideshow. the

Fig. 21 is a diagram showing the structure of playlist (PlayList) information. the

Fig. 22 is a diagram showing the relationship between AVClip information and PlayList information. the

23 is a diagram showing an internal structure of a plurality of pieces of PLMark information in PlayList information according to the second embodiment. the

Fig. 24 is a diagram showing chapter definitions of PLmark information. the

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a specific example of PLMark setting for a video stream used in a slide show. the

Fig. 26 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of chapter search. the

Fig. 27 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of chapter skipping. the

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing the structure of an AVClip according to the third embodiment. the

Fig. 29(a) is a diagram showing the internal structure of an IG stream. the

Fig. 29(b) is a diagram showing the internal structure of the ICS. the

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of an ICS that defines dialogue control in a slideshow. the

31( a ) to ( c ) are diagrams showing menus displayed when the playback time of the video stream reaches time tx. the

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing state transitions of menus displayed in a slideshow. the

Fig. 33 is a diagram showing branching by slide navigation commands. the

Detailed ways

(first embodiment)

Next, embodiments of the recording medium according to the present invention will be described. First of all, an aspect related to usage behavior among implementation behaviors of the recording medium according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an aspect of usage behavior of a recording medium according to the present invention. In FIG. 1 , the recording medium according to the present invention is a BD-ROM 100 . This BD-ROM 100 is used to provide movie works to a home theater system formed by the playback device 200 , the remote controller 300 , and the television 400 . the

The usage of the recording medium according to the present invention has been described above. Next, an aspect related to production activities among the implementation activities of the recording medium according to the present invention will be described. The recording medium of the present invention can be implemented by improving the application layer of the BD-ROM. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a BD-ROM. the

The fourth layer of the figure shows the BD-ROM, and the third layer shows the tracks on the BD-ROM. Among the tracks in the figure, the track formed spirally from the inner periphery to the outer periphery of the BD-ROM is drawn extending in the lateral direction. The track includes a lead-in area, volume area and lead-out area. The volume area in this figure has a layer pattern called physical layer, file system layer, and application layer. If a directory structure is used to represent the application layer format (application format) of the BD-ROM, it will be shown as the first layer in the figure. The BD-ROM in the first layer has a BDMV directory under the root directory. the

Below the BDMV directory, there are three subdirectories called the PLAYLIST directory, the CLPINF directory, and the STREAM directory. the

In the STREAM directory, there is a directory storing a group of files to be the so-called stream main body, that is, files with extension m2ts (00001.m2ts, 00002.m2ts, 00003.m2ts). the

In the PLALIST directory, there are files (00001.mpls, 00002.mpls, 00003.mpls) to which the extension mpls is given. the

In the CLIPINF directory, there are files (00001.clpi, 00002.clpi, 00003.clpi) to which the extension clpi is assigned. the

<AVClip structure>

Next, the file to which the extension m2ts is given will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing how a file with the extension .m2ts is structured. Files (00001.m2ts, 00002.m2ts, 00003.m2ts . . . ) to which the extension .m2ts is assigned store AVClips. AVClip (paragraph 4) converts a video stream composed of multiple video frames (picture pj1, 2, 3) and an audio stream (layer 1) composed of multiple audio frames into PES packets, and further converts them into TS After packaging (layer 3), these are multiplexed to form. the

Also, a subtitle-based presentation graphics stream (PG stream) or a dialogue-based interactive graphics stream (IG stream) may be multiplexed on the AVClip. Also, subtitle data (text subtitle stream) represented by text codes is sometimes recorded as an AVClip. the

Next, how an AVClip, which is a digital stream in the MPEG2-TS format, is written in a BD-ROM will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how TS packets constituting an AVClip are written to a BD-ROM. The first layer in the figure shows TS packets constituting an AVClip. the

As shown in the second row, TS packets constituting an AVClip are assigned to TS_exra_header ("EX" in the figure). the

Layers 3 and 4 represent the correspondence between physical units of the BD-ROM and TS packets. As shown in the fourth layer, a plurality of sessions are formed on the BD-ROM. TS packets with exra_header (hereinafter referred to as TS packets with EX), each group of 32, write 3 sections. A group consisting of 32 TS packets with EX is 6144 bytes (=32×192), which coincides with the size of 3 sectors, 6144 bytes (=2048×3). The 32 TS packets with EX stored in 3 sectors are called "Aligned Units", and when writing to BD-ROM, they are encrypted in units of Aligned Units. the

In the sector of the fifth layer, error correction codes are added in units of 32 to form an ECC block. As long as the playback device stores the BD-ROM in Aligned Unit unit, 32 complete TS packages with EX can be obtained. The above is the procedure for writing AVClip to BD-ROM. the

<video stream>

Describes the internal structure of a video stream. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a video stream. There are two types of video streams, those used for movies and those used for slideshows. In this embodiment, these video streams used for movies and slideshows are all encoded in MPEG4-AVC, which is the same. That is, the encoding method is the same. the

Fig. 5(a) is a diagram showing the internal structure of a video stream used in a movie. The video stream in Fig. 5(a) is composed of a plurality of pictures arranged in encoding order. the

I, P, and B in the figure represent I image, B image, and P image respectively. There are two types of I images: IDR images and Non-IDR I images. According to the frame correlation with other images, the Non-IDR I image, P image, and B image are compressed and encoded. The B picture is an image composed of slide data in the Bidirectionallypredictive (B) format, and the P picture is an image composed of slide data in the Predictive (P) format. B images have refrenceB images and nonrefrenceB images. the

In FIG. 5( a ), the Non-IDR I picture is described as "1", and the IDR picture is described as "IDR". The same notation is used below. Above is the video stream for the movie. the

Next, the internal structure of the IDR picture and the Non-IDR I picture will be described. Fig. 6(a) is a diagram showing the internal structure of an IDR image. As shown in the figure, an IDR image is composed of a plurality of slide data in the Intra format. Figure 6(b) shows the internal structure of the Non-IDR I image. While the IDR image is only composed of slide data in Intra format, the Non-IDR I image is composed of slide data in Intra format, slide data in P format, and slide data in B format. Figure 6(c) shows the dependencies in Non-IDR I images. Non-IDR I images can be composed of B and P slide data, so they can have dependencies with other images. the

<Recording to BD-ROM>

Next, we will explain how IDR images and Non-IDR I images are converted into TS packets and recorded on BD-ROM. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the process of converting an IDR picture and a Non-IDR I picture into TS packets. The first layer in the figure represents the IDR image and the Non-IDR I image. The second layer represents an access unit (Access Unit) defined in MPEG4-AVC. Multiple slide data constituting IDR images and Non-IDR I images are configured in sequence, by adding AUD (AccessUnit Delimiter, access unit delimiter), SPS (Squeence Parameter Set, sequence parameter setting), PPS (Picture Parameter Set, that is, image parameter setting), SEI (Supplemental Enhanced info, that is, extended information) is converted into an access unit. the

AUD, SPS, PPS, SEI, and access unit are information specified in MPEG4-AVC, and are described in various documents such as ITU-T Recommendation H.264, so please refer to these documents for details. What is important here is that providing AUD, SPS, PPS, and SEI to the playback device is an essential condition for random access. the

Layer 3 represents the NAL unit. By appending headers to AUD, SPS, PPS, and SEI in the second layer, AUD, SPS, PPS, SEI, and slide data are converted into NAL units, respectively. NAL unit refers to the unit specified in the Network Abstraction Layer (Network Abstraction Layer) of MPEG4-AVC, and is described in various documents such as ITU-T Recommendation H.264, so please refer to these documents for details. What is important here is that since AUD, SPS, PPS, SEI, and slide data are respectively converted into independent NAL units, AUD, SPS, PPS, SEI, and slide data are processed independently in the network abstraction layer. the

Multiple NAL units obtained by transforming an image are transformed into PES packets as shown in layer 4. After that, it is converted into TS packets and recorded on the BD-ROM. the

When reproducing one GOP, among the NAL units constituting the IDR picture and Non-IDR I picture located at the head of the GOP, the NAL unit including the access unit delimiter cannot be input to the decoder. That is, the NAL unit including the access unit delimiter becomes an index for decoding an IDR picture and a Non-IDR I picture. In this embodiment, the NAL unit including the access unit delimiter is used as a dot. Then, when the playback device plays back the video stream, it interprets NAL uni including the access unit delimiter as an item position for playing back Non-IDR I picture and IDR picture. Therefore, in AVClip, when performing random access, it is very important to know where the access unit delimiter of the IDR picture and the Non-IDR I picture is located. The above is the structure of a video stream in the MPEG4-AVC format for movies. the

<slideshow>

Next, video streams used for slideshows will be described. Fig. 5(b) is a diagram showing the internal structure of a video stream used for a slide show. As shown in the figure, a video stream for a slide show is composed of a plurality of still picture data. These still image data are all IDR images. That is, in a slide show, decoding is performed with an IDR picture so that any picture is decoded as a single body. the

In the slideshow in this embodiment, the multiplexed video stream and audio stream are slideshows of the type in which each still image in the video stream is reproduced along with the playback process of the audio stream——Timebased Slideshow (Timebased Slideshow) ). the

There is also a method in which audio streams are not multiplexed in a slide show recordable on a BD-ROM, but still images are played back regardless of playback of audio streams (browsableSlideShow). the

Among them, both movies and time-based slideshows have timelines, so they are described as objects. the

Describes the internal structure of the video streams that make up the slide show. the

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating how an IDR image in a slideshow is recorded to a BD-ROM. The recording to BD-ROM is the same as that in Fig. 7. In other words, the IDR image constituting the slideshow is composed of a plurality of slideshow data, so each slideshow data is converted into NAL units in the same way as the IDR image of the moving picture, and recorded on the BD-ROM. The record shown in this figure differs from that in FIG. 7 in that there is an "end of stream code" at the end of the image slideshow data. This end-of-stream code is an end code for freezing the decoding operation of the playback device command, and is converted into one NAL unit and recorded on the BD-ROM similarly to the slideshow data. the

By sequentially supplying the IDR images shown in FIG. 8 to the decoder, a slide show is reproduced as shown in FIG. 9 . FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a playback process of a slide show. The fourth layer in the figure shows a TS packet sequence, and the third layer shows a PES packet sequence obtained by converting the TS packet in the fourth layer. The second layer shows the time axis of the slideshow, and the first layer shows each IDR image constituting the slideshow. The IDR picture of the first layer indicates the time indicated by the PTS in the PES packet of the third layer. In addition, since the stream end code shown in FIG. 8 is included in the PES packet of the third layer, after the IDR image is displayed at the time indicated by the PTS of the PES packet, the decoding operation is frozen (Display Frozen). This frozen state of the decoding operation continues until the next IDR picture is displayed. By repeatedly displaying the time indicated by the PTS of the PES packet and freezing the decoding operation using the end-of-stream code, each IDR picture constituting the slideshow is sequentially reproduced. The above is the reproduction process of the slide show. the

<Clip information>

Next, a file to which the extension .clpi is given will be described. Files (00001.clpi, 00002.clpi, 00003.clip, . . . ) to which the extension .clpi is assigned store Clip information. Clip information is management information for each AVClip. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the internal structure of Clip information. As shown on the left side of the figure, Clip information includes:

i) "ClioInfo()" that stores the attribute information of the AVClip file;

ii) "Sequence Info()" that stores information about ATC sequence (Sequence) and STC sequence (Sequence);

iii) "Program Info()" about the Program sequence is stored;

iv) "Characteristic Point Info(CPI())". the

The lead line cul in the figure represents the structure of Program sequence (Program sequence (i)). As shown in the lead line, the Program Info corresponding to Program sequence (i) is formed by arranging Ns (i) combinations of Stream_PID and Stream_Coding_Info (Stream_PID[i](0), Stream_Coding_Info(i, 0)～ Stream_PID[i](NS[i]-1), Stream_Coding_Info(i, Ns(i)-1)). the

Stream_PID indicates the packet identifier for each unit stream constituting the AVClip, and Stream_Coding_Info indicates the encoding method for each unit stream constituting the AVClip. the

FIG. 11( a ) shows Stream_Coding_Info for a video stream, and FIG. 11( b ) shows Stream_Coding_Info for an audio stream. As shown in Figure 11(a), the Stream_Coding_Info of the video stream includes: "Stream_Coding_type" indicating that the encoding method of the video stream is one of MPEG4-AVC and MPEG2-Video; indicating that the display format of the video stream is 480i, 576i, 480p "Video_format" of one of , 1080i, 720p, and 1080p; "frame_rate" indicating that the frame rate of the video stream is one of 23.976Hz, 29.97Hz, and 59.94Hz; indicating that the aspect ratio of the image in the video stream is "aspect_ratio" of any one of 4:3 and 16:9. the

Fig. 11(b) shows Stream_Coding_Info for an audio stream. As shown in the figure, the Stream_Coding_Info for the audio stream includes: "Stream_Coding_type" indicating that the encoding method of the audio stream is one of LPCM, Dolby-AC3, and Dts; indicating that the output form of the audio stream is stereo, analog sound, or multimedia One of the "audio_Presentation_type"; "Sampling_Frequency" indicating the sampling frequency of the audio stream; and "audio_language_code" indicating the language corresponding to the audio stream. the

By referring to this Stream_Coding_Info, it can be known which of the plurality of unit streams in the AVClip is in the MPEG4-AVC format. the

<CPI(EP_map)>

Returning to Fig. 10, the CPI is explained. Lead line cu2 in the figure represents the structure of CPI. As indicated by lead cu2, CPI is composed of EP_map. EP_map is composed of EP_map_for_one_stream_PID (EP_map_for_one_stream_PID(0)˜EP_map_for_one_stream_PID(Ne-1)). These EP_map_for_one_stream_PIDs are EP_maps for each unit stream belonging to the AVClip. EP_map is information that associates the packet number (SPN_EP_start) at the item position where the access unit delimiter (Access Unit Delimiter) exists on one unit stream with the item time (PTS_EP_start). The lead line cu3 in the figure represents the internal structure of EP_map_for_one_stream_PID. the

From this figure, it can be seen that EP_map_for_one_stream_PID is composed of Nc EP_High (EP_High(0) to EP_Hig(Nc-1)) and EP_Low (EP_Low(0) to EP_Low(Nf-1)). Here, EP_High has the role of indicating the high bit of SPN_EP_start and PTS_EP_start of the access unit (Non-IDR I picture, IDR picture), and EP_Low has the role of indicating the low bit of SPN_EP_start and PTS_EP_start of the access unit (Non-IDR I picture, IDR picture). role. the

The lead wire cu4 in the figure represents the internal structure of EP_High. As shown in the lead line, EP_High(i) includes: the reference value for EP_Low, that is, "ref_to_EP_Low_id[i]"; "PTS_EP_High[i]" indicating the high bit of the PTS of the access unit (Non-IDR I picture, IDR picture) ; "SPN_EP_High[i]" representing the high bit of the SPN of the access unit (Non-IDR I picture, IDR picture). Here, i is an identifier for identifying any EP-High. the

Lead line cu5 in the figure represents the structure of EP_Low. As shown by lead line cu5, EP_Low includes: "is_angle_change_point(EP_Low_id)" indicating whether the corresponding access unit is an IDR image; "I_end_position_offset(EP_Low_id)" indicating the size of the corresponding access unit; indicating the corresponding access unit ( "PTS_EP_Low (EP_Low_id)" of the low bit of the PTS of the Non-IDR I picture, IDR picture); "SPN_EP_Low (EP_Low_id)" of the low bit of the SPN of the access unit (Non-IDR I picture, IDR picture). Here, EP_Low_id is an identifier for identifying any EP_Low. the

The data structures of these EP_maps are basically described in the above-mentioned patent documents, etc., and will not be described in more detail in this specification. the

Next, Clip info in Clip information will be described. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the internal structure of ClipInfo in Clip information. The lead lines in the figure represent the structure of Clip Info(). As shown in the leads, it can be seen that Clip Info () includes: "clip_stream_type" representing the type of digital stream; "application_type" representing the type of application using the AVClip; "TS_recording_rate" representing the recording rate of the AVClip; "number_of_source_packet" of the number of TS packets. Among them, clip_stream_type indicates that the AVClip corresponding to the Clip information is one of Movie Application, TS for Timebased SlideShow, TS forMainPath of the Browsable SlideShow, TS for subpath of the Browsable SlideShow. Specifically as follows:

(a) When clip_stream_type=1, it indicates that the type of AVClip is MovieApplication. the

(b) When clip_stream_type=2, it means that the type of AVClip is TS for TimebasedSlideShow. the

(c) When clip_stream_type=3, it means that the type of AVClip is TS for MainPathof the Browsable SlideShow. Here, "MainPath" indicates a video stream in a combination of a video stream and an audio stream constituting BrowsableSlideShow. the

(d) When clip_stream_type=4, it means that the type of AVClip is TS for subpath of the Browsable SlideShow. Here, "subpath" represents an audio stream in a combination of a video stream and an audio stream constituting Browsable SlideShow. the

Arrows ct3 and ct4 in FIG. 12 indicate the secondary content of the application_type. The secondary content shows how the data structure of EP_map is when application_type is set to each value. the

The arrow ct4 in the figure indicates what data structure EP_map has when the application_type is 1 or 4. Specifically, when the application_type is 1 or 4, the interval between two adjacent PTS_EP_star values in the EP_map is preferably less than 1 second. the

The arrow ct3 in the figure indicates what kind of data structure EP_map has when the application_type is 2 or 3. Specifically, when the application_type is 2 or 3, it indicates that the value of PTS_EP_star is set to point to all images of the AVClip. That is, it is ensured that all pictures of the AVClip are pointed to by EP_map. the

The technical significance of giving such a secondary meaning to application_type will be described below. the

Here, it is just an idea to set all image data as IDR images when creating a slideshow. A video stream may be configured using a P picture compressed using the correlation with another picture, or a B picture compressed using the correlation of two or more preceding and following pictures. Therefore, depending on the author, it is possible to make slideshows using P pictures or B pictures. the

However, a P picture or a B picture cannot be decoded if there is no picture being referred to. Therefore, when an arbitrary image constituting a slide show is to be reproduced by a user operation, it is impossible to decode a desired image without first decoding a reference image located nearby. the

Every time a desired picture is reproduced, it is necessary to decode the picture referred to by the picture. Therefore, creating a slide show from P pictures and B pictures is poor in operability, and it is not easy to create a slide show. the

The slideshow is not limited to reproducing images in a certain order like moving pictures. A process of reproducing arbitrary image data by a user operation is required. Here, in this embodiment, in order to ensure playback from any location, the video stream constituting the slideshow is composed of independently decodable and intra-coded IDR images. That is, the idea of using P pictures or B pictures to compose a slide show is eliminated, and all the pictures constituting the slide show are encoded as IDR pictures. the

Correspondingly, in the slideshow, the item positions and item times of all images are indicated by EP_map. With such a configuration, when the user wants to decode certain image data, any still image can be used for playback by simply supplying the image data to the decoder. the

Whether or not the video stream is used for a slideshow is indicated in the application_type in Clip_Info, so this application_type "whether it indicates a slideshow" has a secondary function of "whether the position and playback start time of each image data constituting the video stream are indicated by an EP_map". mean. the

Since the application_type of Clip_Info has such a meaning, the playback device can know that each picture constituting the video stream is an IDR picture without referring to any other pictures, and that all pictures are composed of EP_map to indicate the situation. the

Therefore, when a playback image is playing back a slide show, by referring to application_type, a desired image can be decoded without decoding previous and subsequent images. the

The above is the technical meaning of application_type and EP_map. the

Next, the difference between the EP_map settings of movies and slideshows will be described with specific examples. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing EP_map settings for a movie video stream (application_type=1 or 4). The first layer shows a plurality of images arranged in display order, and the second layer shows the time axis in the images. The fourth layer represents the TS packet sequence on the BD-ROM, and the third layer represents the EP_map setting. the

On the time axis of the second layer, it is assumed that an access unit (Non-IDR I picture, IDR picture) exists at times t1 to t7. And, assuming that among these t1 to t7, the time interval of t1 to t3, the time interval of t3 to t5, and the time interval of t5 to t7 are about 1 second, the EP_map used in the video stream of the movie will be t1 to t7 t1, t3, and t5 are set as the item time (PTS_EP_start), and are set to indicate the recording position (SPN_EP_star) corresponding thereto. In addition, since Entry Point #1 and Entry Point #3 among Entry Point #1 to Entry Point #4 correspond to the IDR image, is_angle_change_point is set to "1". In addition to this, is_angle_change_point in Entry Point#2 and EntryPoint#4 is set to "0". the

In FIG. 14, the combination of EP_Low and EP_High is used to represent PTS_EP_start and SPN_EP_start of Entry Point #1 to Entry Point #5 in FIG. 13. EP_Low is shown on the left side of the figure, and EP_High is shown on the right side. the

PTS_EP_star of EP_Low (i) to (i+1) among EP_Low (0) to (Nf-1) on the left side of FIG. 14 represents the lower bits of t1, t3, t5, and t7. SPN_EP_High of EP_Low(i) to (i+1) among EP_Low(0) to (Nf-1) indicates the lower bits of n1, n3, n5, and n7. the

The right side of FIG. 14 shows EP_High (0) to (Nc-1) in EP_map. Here, if t1, t3, t5, and t7 have a common high bit, and n1, n3, n5, and n7 also have a common high bit, the common high bit is described in PTS_EP_High and SPN_EP_High. Furthermore, ref_to_EP_LOW_id corresponding to EP_High is set to EP_Low(i) indicating the top of EP_Lows corresponding to t1, t3, t5, t7, n1, n3, n5, and n7. In this way, the common high bit of PTS_EP_start and SPN_EP_start is represented by EP_High. the

In addition, since the access units corresponding to (i) and (i+2) among is_angle_change_point(i)-(i+3) in EP_Low(i)-EP_Low(i+3) are IDR pictures, is_angle_change_point is Set to "1". Since the access units corresponding to (i+1) and (i+3) are Non-IDR I pictures, is_angle_change_point is set to "0". the

In the case of a moving image application such as a movie, once playback starts, subsequent images are continuously re-decoded, so EP-map does not need to designate all access units, but only at the minimum point at which playback starts Just set the item of EP_map on it. For such a video stream used for movies, it is only necessary to set the value of the adjacent PTS_EP_start within 1 second. Therefore, for the time interval between adjacent access units such as the images existing at t2, t4, and t6 For an access unit of about 0.5 seconds, the reproduction time may not be indicated by PTS_EP_start. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing how random access to the video stream in FIG. 13 is performed. the

Here, consider a case where random access is performed starting from In_time (=t6) in the figure. In FIG. 15, t6 is not indicated by PTS_EP_start, and t5 is indicated by PTS_EP_start. Furthermore, the Entry_Point corresponding to this t5 is set to is_angle_change_point=1, indicating that it is an IDR image, and therefore an IDR image that passes through the playback time of this t5 is required. This is because, if the image from the IDR image to the random access destination is read from the BD-ROM, all the references necessary for the random access destination decoder can be prepared in the decoder. image. the

The kel on the fourth layer in the figure symbolically represents the passage to t5. However, since the access destination of the random access cannot be directly accessed, this process becomes an overhead of the random access. the

Next, EP_map setting when application_type is slideshow (application_type=2 or 3) will be described. It is assumed that IDR images whose PTS is set to be reproduced at a plurality of times (t1 to t7) on the time axis exist in the slideshow. In this case, the EP_map setting for the slide is as shown in FIG. 16 . FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an internal structure of an EP_map set for a slideshow. the

It is known that in a slideshow, EP_map is set to indicate all images, so each Entry_Point#1 to #7 in the EP_map sets the playback times t1, 2, t3, t4, t5, t6, t7 is determined as the project time (PTS_EP_start), and corresponds to the project position (SPN_EP_start). the

In this way, the playback time of each IDR picture is designated as the entry time by EP_map, so even if any one of t1 to t7 is selected as the access destination of random access, no IDR that has passed through the preceding is generated. The devious overhead of the image. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing random access to one time point on the time axis with the same symbols as in FIG. 16 . The first to fourth layers in this figure are the same as those in FIG. 16 . If random access is performed with time t6 among times t2, t4, and t6 in the second layer as the access destination, since time t6 is indicated by PTS_EP_start, it is possible to access the equivalent of Recording position at time t6 (SPN=N6). the

Since all pictures are coded as IDR pictures, and the reproduction time of an arbitrary picture is indicated with PTS_EP_start so as not to generate overhead, random access using time information in slideshows can be performed at high speed. the

If the Application_type in CLIP.INFO is represented by 2 or 3 along with the above EP_map setting, it can be recognized that there is an item on the EP_map for all the images constituting the slideshow, so by referring to the item of the EP_map, it is judged what is read The range of data to be taken, without redundant analysis of the data flow before and after. the

The above is the description of the Clip information according to the present embodiment. Note that the description in this embodiment will be omitted for the file to which the extension "mpls" is given, and will be described in the second embodiment. the

This concludes the description of the recording medium according to the present invention. Next, the playback device according to the present invention will be described. the

<Internal structure of reproduction device>

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of a playback device according to the present invention. The reproduction apparatus of the present invention can be industrially produced according to the internal structure shown in this figure. The playback device according to the present invention is mainly composed of two parts called a system LSI and a drive device, and industrial production can be carried out by mounting these parts on the casing and the substrate of the device. The system LSI is an integrated circuit integrating various processing units that realize the functions of the playback device. The reproducing apparatus thus produced includes: BD drive 1; arrival time clock counter 2; resource packet disassembly section 3; PID filter 4; transmission buffer 5; multiplexing buffer 6; coded image buffer 7; video decoder 8 ; decoded image buffer 10; video plane 11; transport buffer 12; encoded data buffer 13; stream graphics processor 14; object buffer 15; composite buffer 16; composite controller 17; presentation graphics plane 18; CLUT section 19; transmission buffer 20; encoded data buffer 21; stream graphics processor 22; object buffer 23; composite buffer 24; composite controller 25; interactive graphics plane 26; ; switch 30; network device 31; local storage 32; arrival time clock counter 33; resource packet disassembly section 34; PID filter 35; switch 36; Transmission buffer 40; buffer 41; text subtitle decoder 42; script memory 43; control section 44; PSR setter. The internal structure in this figure is a decoder block based on the MPEG T-STD block, and it is assumed to include a down-conversion decoding block. In this figure, a portion surrounded by a dotted line indicates a portion constituting a single chip as a system LSI. the

The BD-ROM drive 1 loads/unloads the BD-ROM, accesses the BD-ROM, and reads an alignment unit (Aligned Unit) composed of 32 sectors from the BD-ROM. the

The arrival time clock counter 2 generates an arrival time clock (Arrival Time Clock) based on a 27MHz crystal oscillator (27MHz X-tal). The arrival time clock is a clock signal that defines a time axis serving as a reference for the ATS given to the TS packet. the

When a queue unit consisting of 32 sectors is read from the BD-ROM, the resource packet depacketizer 3 removes the TP_extra_header from each TS packet constituting the queue unit, and outputs only the TS packet to the PID filter 4 . When the time elapsed by the arrival time clock counter 2 becomes the ATS indicated by TP_extra_header, the output of the resource packet depacketization unit 3 to the PID filter 4 is performed. Since the output to the PID filter 4 is performed according to the ATS, even if there is a speed difference between 1x speed and 2x speed in reading from the BD-ROM, for example, the output of the TS packet to the PID filter 4 follows the arrival time clock. at the current time. the

The PID filter 4 judges which of the video stream, the PG stream, and the IG stream the TS packet belongs to by referring to the PID attached to the TS packet, and outputs it to the transmission buffer 5, the transmission buffer 12, the transmission Either one of the buffer 20 and the transmission buffer 37 . the

The transmission buffer 5 is a buffer for temporarily storing TS packets belonging to the video stream when they are output from the PID filter 4 . the

The multiplex buffer (MB) 6 is a buffer for temporarily storing PES packets when the video stream is output from the transport buffer 5 to the unit buffer 7 . the

A coded picture buffer (CPB) 7 is a buffer for storing pictures (Non-IDR I pictures, IDR pictures, B pictures, P pictures) in a coded state. the

The video decoder 8 decodes frame images of each video unit stream according to a predetermined decoding time (DTS), obtains a plurality of frame images, and writes them into the decoded image buffer 10 . the

The decoded image buffer 10 is a buffer in which decoded images are written. the

The video plane 11 is a plane for storing images in a non-compressed format. A plane refers to a storage area for storing pixel data of one screen in a playback device. The resolution in the video plane 11 is 1920×1080, and the image data stored in the video plane 11 is composed of pixel data represented by 16-bit YUV values. the

The transmission buffer (TB) 12 is a buffer for temporarily storing TS packets belonging to the PG stream when output from the PID filter 4 . the

The coded data buffer (CDB) 13 is a buffer for storing PES packets constituting the PG stream. the

The Stream Graphics Processor (SGP) 14 decodes PES packets (ODS) storing graphics data, and writes an uncompressed bitmap composed of index colors obtained by decoding into the object buffer 15 as a graphics object. the

Graphics objects obtained by decoding by the stream graphics processor 14 are arranged in the object buffer 15 . the

The composite buffer 16 is a memory configured with control information (PCS) for graphics data rendering. the

The graphics controller 17 interprets the PCS arranged in the composite buffer 16, and performs control according to the interpretation result. the

The presentation graphics plane 18 is a memory having an area equivalent to one screen, and can store uncompressed graphics for one screen. The resolution in this plane is 1920×1080, and each pixel of the uncompressed graphics in the presentation graphics plane 18 is represented by an 8-bit index color. By using CLUT (ColorLookup Table, color lookup table) to transform such an index color, the uncompressed graphics stored in the presentation graphics plane 18 can be used for display. the

The CLUT unit 19 converts index colors in the uncompressed graphics stored in the presentation graphics plane 18 into Y, Cr, and Cb values. the

The transport buffer (TB) 20 is a buffer for temporarily storing TS packets belonging to the IG stream. the

The coded data buffer (CDB) 21 is a buffer for storing PES packets constituting the IG stream. the

The Stream Graphics Processor (SGP) 22 decodes the PES packets storing graphics data, and writes the uncompressed bitmap composed of index colors obtained by decoding into the object buffer 23 as a graphics object. the

Graphics objects obtained by decoding by the stream graphics processor 22 are arranged in the object buffer 23 . the

The composite buffer 24 is a memory configured to control information for rendering graphics data. the

The graphics controller 25 interprets the control information arranged in the composite buffer 24, and performs control according to the interpreted result. the

Uncompressed graphics obtained through decoding by the stream graphics processor (SGP) 22 are written in the interactive graphics plane 26 . The resolution in this plane is 1920×1080, and each pixel of the uncompressed graphics in the interactive graphics plane 26 is represented by an 8-bit index color. The uncompressed graphics stored in the presentation graphics plane 26 can be used for display by transforming the corresponding index colors with CLUT (Color LookupTable, i.e. pattern lookup table). the

The CLUT unit 27 converts index colors in the uncompressed graphics stored in the presentation graphics plane 26 into Y, Cr, and Cb values. the

The compositing unit 28 composites uncompressed frame images stored in the video plane 11 and uncompressed graphics objects stored in the presentation graphics plane 18 . By this synthesis, a synthesized image in which subtitles are superimposed on a moving picture can be obtained. the

The synthesis unit 29 combines the uncompressed graphics object stored in the interactive graphics plane 26 with the synthesized image outputted by the synthesis unit 28 (an image in which the uncompressed image data and the uncompressed graphics object of the presentation graphics plane 18 are synthesized) to synthesize. the

The switch 30 selectively supplies either the TS packets read from the BD-ROM or the TS packets read from the local storage 32 to the transmission buffer 20 . the

The network device 31 is used to realize the communication function in the playback device, and to establish a TCP link, an FTP link, and the like with a website corresponding to the URL. the

The local storage 32 is a hard disk for storing content supplied from various recording media and communication media. Through the connection established by the network device 31 , contents and the like downloaded from websites are also stored in the local storage 32 . the

The resource packet removal unit 34 removes the TP_extra_header from the TS packet of the AVClip read from the local storage 32 , and outputs only the TS packet to the PID filter 35 . The output of the resource packet depacketization unit 34 to the PID filter 35 is performed when the time elapsed by the arrival time clock counter 33 reaches the time when the ATS indicated by the TP_extra_header is reached. the

The PID filter 35 switches the TS packets read from the local storage 35 to one of the IG stream decoder side, the audio decoder side, and the text subtitle decoder side. the

The switcher 36 requests the audio decoder 39 to allow either the TS packets read from the BD-ROM or the TS packets read from the local storage 32 . the

The transport buffer (TB) 37 stores TS packets belonging to the audio stream. the

The element buffer (EB) 38 is a buffer for storing PES packets constituting an audio stream. the

The audio decoder 39 decodes the PES packets output from the unit buffer 38, and outputs audio data in a non-compressed format. the

A transport buffer (TB) 40 stores TS packets belonging to a text subtitle stream. the

The element buffer (EB) 41 is a buffer that stores PES packets constituting a text subtitle stream. the

The text subtitle decoder 42 decodes the PES packets read into the buffer 41 for display. The decoder displays subtitles by developing text strings in the text subtitle stream on a bitmap using fonts additionally read from the local storage 32 . The text subtitles obtained by the decoder are written to the presentation graphics plane 18 . the

The script memory 43 is a memory for storing current Clip information. The current Clip information refers to the Clip information currently being processed among the pieces of Clip information recorded on the BD-ROM. the

The control unit 44 is composed of a command ROM and a CPU, and executes software stored in the command ROM to control the entire playback device. The content of this control dynamically changes according to user events generated in response to user operations and the PSR set value in the PSR setter 46 . the

The PSR setter 46 is a nonvolatile register built into the playback device, and is composed of 64 playback status registers (PSR (1) to (64)) and 4096 general-purpose registers (GPR). The 64 playback status registers (PSR) indicate each status of the playback device, such as each current playback time. PSR (8) among the 64 PSRs (PSR (1) to (64)) is set to a value of 0 to 0xFFFFFFFF, so that the current playback time (current PTM) can be expressed with a time accuracy of 45 KHz. the

The above is the internal structure of the playback device. the

Next, the processing procedure of the control unit 44 will be described. the

The control unit 44 controls the BD drive 1 and the video decoder 8 so as to perform random access when playing back the video stream in the MPEG4-AVC format. the

On the other hand, in random access there is time seek. The time search refers to a technique for playing back a video stream from a position corresponding to the indicated playback start time after the user receives time information of "time, minutes, and seconds" to play back. At this time, the control unit 44 performs conversion processing of converting the time information into an address of an access unit (referred to as an I picture address) on the BD-ROM, and after obtaining the address of the access unit, reads the address of the access unit from the BD-ROM. For the TS packets after the address, the TS packets are sequentially input into the decoder. the

A major part of these controls is the derivation of the access unit address from the time information. Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing the steps for converting time information into access unit addresses in a video stream used in a movie. In this flowchart, the time information indicating the access destination of the random access is represented as In_time. In step S1 of FIG. 19, In_time is set to PTS_EP_start, and in step S2, the combination of EP_High_id and EP_Low_id closest to PTS_EP_start is obtained. Here, EP_High_id is EP_High indicating the time before In_time, and is an identifier for specifying the time closest to In_time. In addition, EP_Low_id is EP_Low indicating the time after EP_High[EP_High_id] and before In_time, and is an identifier indicating to specify the time closest to In_time. the

In order to obtain EP_High_id, the control unit 44 adds up the time lengths indicated by PTS_EP_High of a plurality of EP_Highs. Here, the time length indicated by PTS_EP_High refers to a unit of time in which PTS_EP_High is the high bit. And it is judged in which EP_High_id the sum of the time lengths Σ exceeds In_time. Here, when the sum Σ of the time length exceeds In_time in the k-th EP_High_id, a numerical value (k-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the k is set as EP_High_id. the

In order to obtain EP_Low_id, the control unit 44 adds a time length indicated by PTS_EP_Low of a plurality of EP_Lows to the sum Σ up to PTS_EP_High (EP_High_id). Then, it is judged at which EP_Low_id the sum ∑ of the time length exceeds In_time. Here, when the sum Σ of the h-th EP_Low_id time length exceeds In_time, a value (h-1) obtained by subtracting 1 from this h is set as EP_Low_id. the

Using the combination of EP_High_id and EP_Low_id obtained as above, determine the Entry_Point closest to In_time. the

When EP_Low_id is obtained in this way, it transfers to the loop process comprised from step S3 - step S5. After EP_Low_id is entered into variable j (step S3), the loop process comprised from step S4 - step S5 is performed. This loop process repeats the subtraction of variable j (step S4) until step S5 is judged as YES. This step S5 is a step of judging whether the is_angle_change_point (PTS_EP_Low[j].is_angle_change_point) of the Entry_point determined by the variable j is 1, as long as the is_angle_change_point of the Entry_point determined by the variable j continuously represents "0", the loop process is repeatedly executed. the

When the is_angle_change_point of the Entry_point specified by the variable j becomes "1", this loop process ends. If step S5 is "Yes", variable j is substituted into EP_Low_id (step S6), and EP_High[i] having ref_to_EP_Low_id[i] closest to the EP_Low_id is obtained (step S7). When EP_Low_id and i are obtained in this way, SPN_EP_Start is obtained from SPN_EP_Low[EP_Low_id] and SPN_EP_High[i] (step S8), and this SPN_EP_Start is converted into an access unit address (step S9). the

Here, the SPN is the sequence number of the TS packet. Therefore, when reading the TS packet based on the SPN, it is necessary to convert the SPN into a relative segment number. Here, as shown in Figure 4, every 32 TS packets are converted into 1 Aligned Unit and recorded in 3 segments. Therefore, the quotient obtained by dividing the SPN by 32 is interpreted as the existence of the access unit. The number of the Aligned Unit. By multiplying the Aligned Unit thus obtained by 3, the segment address of the Aligned Unit closest to the SPN can be obtained. The sector address obtained in this way is the relative sector number counted from the beginning of an AVC file. Therefore, the relative sector number is set as the file pointer, and the access unit can be read to the video decoder by reading the AVClip. 8. the

Fig. 20 is a flow chart of steps for converting time information into access unit addresses in a video stream for a slide show. the

In the slide show, all the pictures in the video stream are IDR pictures, and the playback time is specified by PTS_EP_start, so In_time can be converted to the address of the IDR picture without performing the processing of steps S3 to S7 in FIG. 19 . Specifically, in S1, In_time is set as PTS_EP_start, and in step S2, as long as the combination of EP_High_id and EP_Low_id closest to PTS_EP_start can be obtained, PTS_EP_start can be obtained according to SPN_EP_Low[EP_Low_id] and SPN_EP_High[EP_High_id] (step S8), to obtain the access unit (step S9). That is to say, the conversion step for obtaining the address of the access unit is greatly simplified. the

Here, even in the case of a slideshow, step S1 in FIG. 19 is executed. That is, in order to obtain EP_High_id, the control unit 44 adds the time lengths indicated by PTS_EP_High of a plurality of EP_Highs. Then, determine the sum of the length of time ∑ at which EP_High_id exceeds In_time. Here, when the sum Σ of the time lengths exceeds In_time at the kth EP_High_id, a numerical value (k−1) obtained by subtracting 1 from k is used as EP_High_id. the

Furthermore, in order to obtain EP_Low_id, the control unit 44 adds the time length indicated by PTS_EP_Low of a plurality of EP_Lows to the sum Σ up to PTS_EP_High (EP_High_id). Then, at which EP_Low_id the sum of the time lengths Σ exceeds In_time. Here, when the sum Σ of the time lengths exceeds In_time at the hth EP_Low_id, a numerical value (h−1) obtained by subtracting 1 from the h is used as EP_Low_id. the

Based on the combination of EP_High_id and EP_Low_id obtained in this way, the entry point (Entry point) matching In_time or the closest entry point is determined. the

Through the above steps, when there is a PTS_EP_start that matches In_time, image data reading and reproduction can be performed from SPN_EP_Start corresponding to PTS_EP_start that matches In_time among PTS_EP_starts in EP_map. the

When there is no PTS_EP_start matching the time in the PTS_EP_start of the EP_map, reading and reproduction of image data are performed starting from the SPN_EP_Start corresponding to the PTS_EP_start closest to the In_time. the

According to the present embodiment above, in a slide show that does not display front and back images by user's operation, but needs to display still images by skipping operation equivalently regardless of the order, all still images are composed of IDR images and specified by EP_map. Perform flow analysis. the

In addition, use the item point in EP_map to specify the access unit (Non-IDR image, IDR image), only directly access the data of the required access unit to read the data, and flow to the decoder, so the access efficiency is high. The time required for display is also shorter. the

In addition, it is also possible to record the item address of all the image data constituting the video stream in the EP_map flag, and record it at one place in the EP_map or related navigation information. the

(second embodiment)

The second embodiment relates to an improvement in setting chapters on the time axis of a slideshow. Next, information used for chapter definition will be described. the

The information used for chapter definition is playlist (PlayList) information, and exists in the file to which the extension "mpls" is given. Next, the playlist information will be described. the

<playlist information>

The file (00001.mpls, 00002.mpls, 00003.mpls, . . . ) to which the extension mpls is given is a file in which PlayList information is stored. The playlist information is information for defining a playback path called a playlist with reference to an AVClip. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the structure of playlist information. As shown on the left side of the figure, the playlist information is composed of a plurality of play item (PlayItem) information. A play item is a playback section defined by designating In_Time and Out_time on the time axis of one or more AVClips. By setting a plurality of play item information, a play list (PL) composed of a plurality of reproduction sections is defined. The dotted line hs1 in the figure indicates the internal structure of the play item information. As shown in the figure, the play item information includes: "Clip_information_file_name" indicating the corresponding Clip information; "Clip_codec_indentifier" indicating the encoding method of the corresponding AVClip; "In_time" indicating the time when AVClip playback should start; indicating that AVClip playback should be ended "Out_time"; "Still_Mode"; "Still_time" of the moment. Fig. 22 is a diagram showing the relationship between AVClip and PlayList information. The first layer shows the time axis of the AVClip, and the second layer shows the time axis of the PlayList (referred to as PL time axis). The PlayList information includes three PlayItem information of PlayItem #1, #2, and #3, and three playback sections are defined using the In_time and Out_time of these PlayItem#1, #2, and #3. Arranging these playback sections defines a time axis different from the AVClip time axis. This is the PL time axis represented by layer 2. As described above, by defining the playitem information, it is possible to define a time axis different from the AVClip time axis. the

Among the information elements constituting the PlayList information, the characteristic ones are Still_mode and Still_time. the

"Still_mode" indicates whether or not to display the last image data still when reproducing images from In_time to Out_time. When "00" is set, the Still_mode indicates that the still display is not continued, and when "01" is set, the Still_mode indicates that the still display is continued for a limited time. The time length of the still display when "01" is set is set to Still_time. When set to "02", Still_mode indicates that the still display continues for an infinite time. The display at the time of continuing the static display for an infinite time is canceled by an explicit operation from the user. the

When Still_mode is set to 01, "Still_time" indicates the length of time to continue the still display in seconds. the

The playitem information according to the present embodiment has been described above. Next, the PLMark information will be described. the

23 is a diagram showing an internal structure of a plurality of pieces of PLMark information in PlayList information according to the second embodiment. PLMark information (PLmark()) in FIG. 23 is information that designates an arbitrary section in the PL time axis as a chapter point. As shown by the lead line pm1 in FIG. 23 , the PLmark information includes "ref_to_PlayItem_Id" and "mark_time_stamp". Fig. 24 is a diagram showing chapters defined using PLmark information. In this figure, the first layer shows the AVClip time axis, and the second layer shows the PL time axis. Arrows pk1 and 2 in the figure indicate the designation of a play item (ref_to_PlayItem_Id) and the designation of a time (mark_time_stamp) in the PLmark information. Through these designations, three chapters (Chapter #1, #2, #3) are defined on the PL time axis. The above explains PLMark. the

Fig. 25 is a diagram showing designation of a slideshow using playlist information. The second layer in the figure shows playitem information. The second layer is composed of six pieces of play item information #1 to #6. Arrows yt1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 in the figure symbolically represent the designation of In_time and Out_time in the playitem information, and arrows st1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 symbolically represent designation of Still_Time. As can be seen from this arrow, the play item information is set to specify each piece of image data in the video stream. Also, Still_Time is set to indicate an interval until subsequent image data is displayed. The respective image data constituting the slideshow as described above are respectively assigned a reproduction start point and a reproduction end point by the six pieces of play item information. the

The first layer in FIG. 25 represents PLMark information. Six pieces of PLMark information #1 to #6 exist in the first layer. Arrows kt1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 indicate designation of ref_to_PlayItem_Id of PLMark information. As can be seen from the arrows, ref_to_PlayItem_Id of the PLMark information designates each piece of playitem information. the

Next, playback using playitem information will be described. Since each image data in the slideshow is specified by the playitem information and PLMark information, the control unit 44 uses EP_map to convert the In_time and Out_time of the playitem information into an SPN in the AVClip, and puts the image data in the SPN into the decoder. Accordingly, image data specified by In_time and Out_time of the play item information are displayed. Thereafter, the still display is continued for the period indicated by Still_Time. The control unit 44 according to this embodiment reproduces the slide show by repeating the above-mentioned processing for all play item information. the

Since the respective image data constituting the slide show are specified using the play item information and PLMark information, previous and subsequent image data can be reproduced by functions such as chapter skip and chapter search. the

The chapter search function refers to specifying the playitem information corresponding to the ref_to_PlayItem_Id described in the PLMark information from a plurality of playitem information, and searching for the specified playitem information from the AVClip described in the PLMark information. The position indicated by the mark_time_stamp of the PLMark information starts to perform random access. At this time, the control unit 44 determines the Entry Point that has the PTS_EP_start closest to the mark_time_stamp recorded in the PLMark information from among the plurality of Entry Points, and starts from the determined Entry Point. Playback starts at the access unit address corresponding to SPN_EP_start. the

In chapter jumping, PLMark information specifying a chapter preceding or following a chapter corresponding to the current playback position is specified, and a chapter search is performed for the PLMark information. As described above, the image specified by the mark_time_stamp of the PLMark information is coded as an IDR image, and the PTS_EP_start of the Entry Point set to is_angle_change_point="1" indicates the reproduction time of the IDR image. Therefore, it is indicated by reading the SPN_EP_start of the Entry Point The IDR picture can be supplied to the video decoder 8 for pictures after the position. the

Next, the processing procedure of chapter search and chapter skip will be described with reference to the flowchart. Fig. 26 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of chapter search. the

In this flowchart, firstly, the chapter selection in the chapter menu is waited (step S124), and if the chapter is selected, the PLMark information corresponding to the selected chapter is set as the current playlist mark (PlayListMark) (step S125). In step S126, PI described in ref_to_PlayItem_Id of the current PlayList tag is set to PlayItem#x, and in step S127, the Clip information specified by Clip_information_file_name of PlayItem#x is read. In step S128, use the EP_map of the current Clip information to convert the mark_time_stamp of the current playlist mark into the address u of the access unit. Here, the image indicated by the mark_time_stamp of the PLMark information is indicated by the Entry Point set to is_angle_change_point="1". Therefore, the access unit address u indicates the address of the IDR picture. the

On the other hand, in step S129, the Out_time of PlayItem #x is converted into the access unit address v using the EP_map of the current Clip information. Step S130 instructs the decoder to output from the mark_time_stamp of the current PlayList mark to the Out_time of PlayItem#x. The above is the processing procedure of the chapter search. Next, the chapter skip processing procedure will be described. Fig. 27 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of chapter skipping. the

Step S131 waits for the operation of the skip backward (SkipNext) key and the forward skip (SkipBack) key on the remote controller. If the operation is performed, step S132 is executed. Step S132 judges that what is pressed is the backward jump key or the forward jump key, if the forward jump key, then the direction flag is set to -1 in step S133, if it is the backward jump key, then the direction is set to -1 in step S134. Flag set to +1. the

Step S135 is the step of converting the current PI and the current PTM to determine the current PLMark. Step S136 is to add the number of the direction mark value to the number of the current PLMark and set it as the number of the current playlist mark. Here, if it is a backward jump key, the direction flag is set to +1, so the current playlist flag is increased by 1. If it is a backward skip key, the direction flag is set to -1, so the current playlist flag is decremented by 1. If the PLMark information is set in this way, it can be seen that TS packets are read by executing the processing steps of step S126 to step S130 in the same manner as in FIG. 25 . the

The above is the processing procedure of the playback device when playing back based on the PLMark information. the

Here, an example of setting when PLMark is set for the video stream shown in FIG. 25 will be described. Since the still pictures that can be reproduced in the slide show are specified by the six PLMark #1 to #6 in the first layer, the still pictures at times t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, and t6 of the picture can be used for chapter search. and chapter jump objects. the

In addition, each time t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, and t6 on the time axis of the fourth layer is designated as PTS_EP_start in the EP_map of the fifth layer, so there is no need to "go through the previous Random access to a desired chapter can be performed by detouring the "IDR image" of the selected chapter. When performing chapter search and chapter skip, the desired still image can be read without going through the previous IDR image, so even if it is a slide show, chapter search and chapter skip can be performed efficiently. the

As described above, according to this embodiment, when executing chapter search and chapter skip, a desired still image can be read without going through the previous IDR image. Chapter skipping. the

(third embodiment)

This embodiment is an application of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and is a method in which dialogue control is introduced into a slideshow. Due to the introduction of dialogue control, in the structure of AVClip, in addition to the video stream and audio stream shown in Figure 3, the IG stream is also multiplexed. 28 is a diagram showing the structure of an AVClip according to the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, it can be seen that the AVClip (middle layer) is configured as follows: a video stream composed of a plurality of video frames (pictures pj1, 2, 3), composed of The audio stream (upper layer 1) composed of a plurality of audio frames is transformed into PES packets (upper layer 2), and then converted into TS packets (upper layer 3). Similarly, the interactive graphics stream of the dialog system (lower layer Layer 2 IG stream) is converted into TS packets (lower third layer), and these are multiplexed to form an AVClip. Fig. 29 is a diagram showing the internal structure of an IG stream. the

The interactive graphics stream is composed of functional segments called ICS (Interactive Composition segment), PDS (Palette Definition Segment), ODS (Object Definition Segment), and END (END of Display Set Segment). the

ODS (Object Definition Segment) is the graphics data that defines the drawing graphics when drawing the button. the

PDS (Palette Definition Segment) is a functional segment that specifies the color to be displayed when drawing graphics. the

ICS (Interactive Composition segment) is a functional segment that specifies dialog control that changes the button state in response to user operations. the

Fig. 29(b) is a diagram showing the internal structure of the ICS. ICS is composed of a plurality of button information. The button information is information corresponding to each button on the interactive control screen. Specifically, ICS includes: "neighbor_info", when the focus exists on the corresponding button, when the movement key is pressed, it indicates which button to move the focus to; "state_info", which ODS is used to express the corresponding The normal state of the button and each state of the selected state; the "navigation command" should be executed by the playback device when the corresponding button is determined. the

The data structure of the IG stream described above is an outline of the contents described in the following known documents. For more detailed technical content, please refer to the following known documents. the

Reference to public documents: International Publication Publication WO2004/077826 Publication

Next, a specific example of the ICS will be described. the

Here, it is assumed that state_info, neighbor_info, and navigation commands of the ICS are set as shown in FIG. 30 . FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of an ICS that defines dialogue control in a slideshow. the

1. state_info

The state_info of Button_info(0) is defined so that when the button ("top" button) corresponding to Button_info(0) is in the normal state, a triangular figure with "top" attached thereto is drawn. In addition, state_info of Button_info(0) specifies that when the focus exists on the "top" button (when it is in the selected state), a triangular figure with "top" attached thereto is drawn in an emphasized style. According to such a regulation, the "top" button is used as a "top" button that tries to jump to the beginning still image. the

The state_info of Button_info(1) is defined so that when the button ("+1" button) corresponding to Button_info(1) is in the normal state, a triangular figure with "+1" attached thereto is drawn. Furthermore, when the "+1" button is selected, a triangular figure with "+1" is drawn in an emphasized style. By such a specification, the "+1" button is used as a "+1" button for trying to jump to the next still picture. the

The state_info of Button_info(2) is defined so that when the button ("-1" button) corresponding to Button_info(2) is in the normal state, a triangular figure with "-1" attached thereto is drawn. In addition, when the "-1" button is selected, a triangular figure with "-1" is drawn in an emphasized style. By such a specification, the "-1" button is used as the "-1" button in an attempt to jump to the previous still picture. the

The state_info of Button_info(3) is defined so that when the button ("+10" button) corresponding to Button_info(3) is in the normal state, a triangular figure with "+10" attached thereto is drawn. In addition, when the "+10" button is selected, "+10" is drawn in an emphasized style. By such a regulation, the "+10" button is used as the "+10" button for trying to jump to the 10th still picture behind. the

The state_info of Button_info(4) is defined so that when the button ("-10" button) corresponding to Button_info(4) is in the normal state, a triangular figure with "-10" attached thereto is drawn. In addition, when the "-10" button is selected, "-10" is drawn in an emphasized style. By such a specification, the "-10" button is used as the "-10" button of a still picture that tries to jump to the 10th preceding one. the

Here, as shown in FIG. 31( a ), it is assumed that the graphics specified by state_info of the "top" button to "-10" button exist in the ODS in the IG stream. state_info is set as such, and furthermore, as shown in FIG. 31(b), it is assumed that PTS in ICS indicates time tx at which the x-th image is displayed on the time axis. At this time, when the reproduction time of the video stream reaches the time tx, the menu is displayed in combination with the xth still image as shown in FIG. 31(c). the

2. neighbor_info in ICS

In FIG. 30, when referring to the neighbor_info of each object B, the neighbor_info of Button_info(0) is specified so that when the left button is pressed, the focus is moved to the "-1" button with the number "2", and when the right button is pressed , moves the focus to the "+1" button with the number "1". the

The neighbor_info of Button_info(1) is specified to move the focus to the "top" button with the number "0" when the up key is pressed, and to the "top" button with the number "2" when the left key is pressed. -1" button, when the right button is pressed, move the focus to the "+10" button with the number "3". the

The neighbor_info of Button_info(2) is specified to move the focus to the "-10" button with the number "4" when the left button is pressed, and to the "-10" button with the number "1" when the right button is pressed. +1" button, when the up key is pressed, moves the focus to the "top" button with the number "0". the

The neighbor_info of Button_info (3) is specified to move the focus to the "+1" button having the number "1" when the left button is pressed. the

The neighbor_info of Button_info (4) is specified to move the focus to the "-1" button having the number "2" when the right button is pressed. the

The state transition shown in FIG. 32 can be realized according to the above-mentioned definition of neighbor_info. Fig. 32 is a diagram showing state transitions in a menu displayed in a slideshow. the

That is, when the left key is pressed in a state where focus movement exists on the "+1" button, the focus can be moved to the "-1" button (hh1). the

In a state where focus movement exists on the "+1" button, when the right button is pressed, the focus can be moved to the "+10" button (hh2). Also, when the left key is pressed in a state where focus movement exists on the "+10" button, the focus can be moved to the "+1" button (hh4). In a state where focus movement exists on the "+1" button, when the up key is pressed, the focus can be moved to the "top" button (hh3). the

As mentioned above, the "top" button, "+1" button, "-1" button, "+10" button, and "-10" button are trying to jump to the beginning, the next one, the previous one, and the next tenth. , the button of the 10th sheet in front. Also, when these buttons are displayed, the focus on the movement buttons moves as the user presses the up, down, left, and right keys, so the user can select any one of the "+1" button to "-10" button. the

3. Navigation commands in ICS

The navigation command of Button_info(0) is specified to execute Jmp PLMark(1) when the "top" button is confirmed. the

The navigation command of Button_info(1) is defined as executing Jmp PLMark(x+1) when the "+1" button is confirmed. the

The navigation command of Button_info(2) is specified to execute Jmp PLMark(x-1) when the "-1" button is confirmed. the

The navigation command of Button_info(3) is defined as executing Jmp PLMark(x+10) when the "+10" button is confirmed. the

These navigation commands specify PLMark as the branch destination. The numerical values in parentheses of PLMark determine the image as the branch destination. That is, PLMark(1) is a PLMark indicating the first image, and PLMark(x+1) is a PLMark indicating the x+1th image. PLMark(x-1) is a PLMark indicating the x-1th image. PLMark(x+10) is a PLMark indicating the x+10th image. PLMark(x-10) is a PLMark indicating the x-10th image. the

The navigation command in each button information designates these PLMark(1), (x+1), (x-1), (x+10), (x-10) as branch destinations, so when each button is determined, From the xth still picture, the 1st still picture, the 1+xth still picture, the x-1th still picture, the x+10th still picture, and the x-10th still picture can be randomly accessed. the

The user can move the focus to an arbitrary button by the focus movement as shown in FIG. The navigation command corresponding to the button that is determined to be operated can execute a branch as shown in FIG. 32 . Fig. 33 is a diagram showing the branches of the navigation command of the slideshow, the first layer shows a plurality of images constituting the slideshow and the branches to these images; the second layer is the time axis of the slideshow, and the third layer is a link to the second layer The item map set in the image column, the fourth layer is the TS packet column on the BD-ROM. the

The arrows on the first layer of this figure symbolically represent the navigation commands (jmpPLMark(1), jmpPLMark(x+1), jmpPLMark(x-1), jmpPLMark(x+10), jmpPLMark(x -10)) branch. Through this branch, the first still image, the previous still image, the subsequent still image, the tenth subsequent still image, and the tenth preceding still image are reproduced. These branches are based on the navigation commands shown in FIG. 30 , so the user can reproduce any still image through his own operation using these branches. the

Here, if the playback times of the first still picture, the previous still picture, the next still picture, the tenth still picture after that, and the tenth still picture before are specified as PTS_EP_start in EP_map, Random access to desired access locations can then be performed without the need for analysis accompanying convection. When interactive playback is performed by a navigation command, a desired still image can be read without passing through a nearby item position, so that interactive playback can be performed efficiently. the

(remarks)

The above descriptions do not represent all implementations of the present invention. The present invention can also be practiced by the following embodiments in which modifications of (A), (B), (C), (D) . . . are implemented. Each invention in the claims of the present application is a description that expands and generalizes a plurality of embodiments described above and their modified forms. The degree of extension and generalization is based on the characteristics of the technical level of the technical field of the present invention. the

(A) In all the embodiments, the recording medium of the present invention is implemented as a BD-ROM, but the recording medium of the present invention is characterized by the recorded EP_map, and this feature does not depend on the physical properties of the BD-ROM. Any recording medium may be used as long as the EP_map can be recorded. For example, optical disks such as DVD-ROM, DVE-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD+R, CD-R, and CD-RW, and optical disks such as PD and MO can be used. Also, a semiconductor memory card such as a compact flash (registered trademark) card, smart media, memory stick, multimedia card, or PCM-CIA card may be used. It can also be a floppy disk, super disk (superdisk), zip, clik! Magnetic recording disks such as (i), removable hard drives such as ORB, Jaz, SparQ, SyJet, EZFley, microdrives (ii). In addition, it may be a hard disk built in the device. the

(B) The playback device in all the embodiments decodes the AVClip recorded on the BD-ROM and outputs it to the TV. However, the playback device may only be a BD-ROM drive and incorporate other components into the TV. In this case, the playback device and TV can be integrated into a home network connected by IEEE1394. In addition, the playback device in the embodiment is a type used in connection with a television, but may be a playback device integrated with a display. In addition, in the playback device of each embodiment, only the system LSI (integrated circuit) constituting the essential part of the processing may be implemented. the

(C) Since the information processing by the programs shown in each flow chart is concretely realized using hard disk resources, the programs themselves showing the processing steps in the above flow charts can independently constitute the invention. In all the embodiments, the execution behavior of the program according to the present invention is described by being incorporated into the playback device, but it is also possible to separate the program from the playback device and execute the individual programs shown in the respective embodiments. . There are various ways of implementing individual programs: (1) producing these programs; (2) transferring programs with or without compensation; (3) borrowing; (4) importing; (5) The behavior of providing to the public through two-way electronic communication lines; (6) the behavior of proposing transfer or lease procedures to general users through storefronts, product catalog recommendations, and advertisement releases. the

(D) The digital stream in each embodiment is an AVClip of the BD-ROM standard, but may be a VOB (Video Object) of the DVD-Video standard or DVD-Video Recording standard. VOB is an ISO/IEC13818-1 standard program stream obtained by multiplexing food stream and audio stream. In addition, the video stream in AVClip can also be in MPEG4 or WMV format. In addition, the audio stream may also be in Linear-PCM format, Dolby-AC3 format, MP3 format, MPEG-AAC format, or dts format. the

(E) The slideshow in the first embodiment is explained on the premise of TS for Tmebased SlideShow, but it can also be an AVClip for TS for MainPath of the BrowsableSlideShow, or an AVClip for TS for subpath of the BrowsableSlideShow . That is, in the Clip information corresponding to the AVClip used in TS for MainPath of the Browsable SlideShow, EP_map may be set to indicate the reproduction time and recording position of each image. the

(F) In each of the embodiments, the description has been made based on MPEG-AVC (also referred to as H.264 or JVT), but MPEG2 video streams may also be used. In addition, in the case of an image format (VC-1) of another format, it can be easily applied if it is an independently decodable image. the

Industrial applicability

The recording medium and reproducing apparatus of the present invention can be used for personal use, such as application in a home theater. However, the present invention discloses the internal structure in the above embodiments, and it is obvious that mass production can be performed based on the internal structure. Therefore, the recording medium and playback device of the present invention can be produced or used in the production field of industrial products. Accordingly, the recording medium and playback device of the present invention can be applied industrially. the

Claims (7)

1. A reproducing device for reproducing a recorded video stream on a recording medium, characterized in that: said video stream includes image data to be rendered as a still image, Stream management information is also recorded on the recording medium, said stream management information includes item mappings and flags, When the video stream is to be presented as a time-based slideshow, the item map represents an item address of each still image data corresponding to a reproduction start time of each still image data included in the time-based slideshow, said flag indicating whether the item addresses of all still image data contained in said time-based slideshow are indicated by an item map, and The playback device includes: a reading unit that reads still image data from the recording medium; a reproducing unit that reproduces the still image data by decoding the respective image data; a control unit, if the flag indicates that item addresses of all still image data included in the time-based slide show are indicated by the item map, the control unit controls the reading unit and the reproducing unit so that by using the item map Each still image data is randomly accessed by the item address of each item of still image data shown, wherein each item address corresponds to the playback start time. 2. The playback device according to claim 1, wherein: In order to perform random access to each still image data by using an item address of each still image data represented by the item map, the control means causes the reading means to read the still image data from an item address corresponding to an item time, and The reproduction unit is caused to reproduce the read image data where the item time is the same as the reproduction start time. 3. The playback device according to claim 1, wherein: Each still picture data contains a time stamp and an end code; When the current reproduction time on the predetermined time axis reaches the timing indicated by the time stamp of the still picture data, the reproduction unit performs decoding of each still picture data, and then freezes the decoding operation based on the end code; and When reproduction is instructed to start from a given time on the predetermined time axis, the above-described control unit causes the reproduction unit to decode by making the given time as the current reproduction time. 4. A recording method for recording a video stream including image data to be presented as a still picture, and stream management information including an item map and a flag, on a recording medium, the recording Methods include: a step of setting, when the video stream is to be presented as a time-based slideshow, setting the item map to indicate all still image data contained in the time-based slideshow; and a recording step for converting the still image data into TS packets, and recording the TS packets onto the recording medium, wherein The item map set in the setting step indicates an item address of each still image data corresponding to a reproduction start time of each still image data, and The flag indicates that item addresses of all image data included in the above-mentioned video stream are indicated by the item map. 5. The recording method according to claim 4, wherein: each image data includes a time stamp and an end code; and The time stamp indicates the display timing of the image data on the time axis of the slideshow. 6. A reproducing method for reproducing a video stream recorded on a recording medium, characterized in that, said video stream includes image data to be rendered as a still image, Stream management information is also recorded on the recording medium, said stream management information includes item mappings and flags, When the video stream is to be presented as a time-based slideshow, the item map represents an item address of each still image data corresponding to a reproduction start time of each still image data included in the time-based slideshow, said flag indicating whether the item addresses of all still image data contained in said time-based slideshow are indicated by an item map, and The reproduction method includes: a reading step of reading still image data from the recording medium; a reproducing step of reproducing the still image data by decoding the respective image data; and a control step of controlling the reading step and the reproducing step so that by using the item map, if the flag indicates that item addresses of all still image data contained in the time-based slide show Each still image data is randomly accessed by the item address of each item of still image data shown, wherein each item address corresponds to the playback start time. 7. The reproduction method according to claim 6, wherein: In order to perform random access to each image data by using the item address of each image data represented by the item map, the control step causes the reading step to read the image data from the item address corresponding to the item time, and causes the reproducing step to The read image data is reproduced, where the item time is the same as the reproduction start time.

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